


he is like the sun; i will never be cold again

by stevegrogers



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Flower Child Steve, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Shy Steve Rogers, anyway, bad boy bucky, i haven't seen it yet but i'm already not okay, innocent steve, it's finals week i need a way to deal with my feelings, lowercase intended, plus civil war came out yesterday, this will be fluffy and gross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6765280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevegrogers/pseuds/stevegrogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the one where steve is honestly everything good in the world, and though bucky is normally not attracted to that kind of thing, he is now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

james has heard about him, the sunshine boy.

natasha is friends with him, sort of, and bucky and natasha are friends. (really, she's dating clint, and clint is friends with sunshine boy, so indirectly, nat is friends with him, too.) natasha is happy with clint, but it's impossible to not be attracted to steve. even clint thinks he's adorable, and clint is self-proclaimed the, "straightest straight to ever straight."

"seriously, james, he's so cute," natasha rambles. they've gone to james' place after school and are supposed to be studying for their chem exam together, but nat won't stop talking about him. "he's so  _happy,_ and he always wears flower crowns, and he's just so cute."

james shakes his head. "you're obsessed."

"it's impossible to not be."

james tries to tune her out, mostly because if he doesn't, he's going to fail chem. james doesn't really care so much about school -- he's definitely not going to go to  _college,_ or anything -- but he wants to graduate. he wants to find a way out this hellhole.

\- - -

"hi, sam!" steve cheers.

sam lets out a fond eye roll before hugging steve back. steve is the kind of person who hugs everyone every time he sees them, even if it's only been a few minutes. "hey, steve."

"how are you?"

"good." sam knows if he went into detail, steve would listen delightedly no matter how long the story was. steve is such a good, tiny little thing. he stands at maybe 5'4", 100 pounds soaking wet. he has the temper of a chihuahua, but if he loves you, god, does he love you. "what's going on with you?"

steve wrinkles his nose adorably. "i have a group project in english."

sam frowns. steve hates group projects -- not because he doesn't think the work will get done, but because his anxiety prevents him from faring well in situations where he doesn't know anyone. 

"did you try talking to the teacher?" sam asks.

steve's pout deepens. "yeah. she said, 'you need to make more of an effort to know other students, steven.'" he does a bad imitation of her voice.

"bitch," sam mutters.

"language!" steve yelps, smacking his arm. his movement jostles the flower crown on his head, and sam straightens it with a fond smile. "thank you!"

"you're welcome, kiddo."

\- - -

james hadn't realized sunshine boy was in his english class, but now he can't stop staring at him. i mean, it has to be him, right? what other guy walks around with a flower crown in his hair, beaming at everyone who makes eye contact with him.

natasha was right. he's fucking gorgeous, with a face so perfect it's almost scary. his features are soft, warm, and even his body language oozes affection. james finds himself wanting to hold him, oddly enough, which is unlike him. no -- he is the type to fuck and leave. he wants to fuck him. he's getting his emotions confused, and he chalks that up to not having smoked a cigarette yet today.

he pretty much zones out, staring at the pretty pink of sunshine boy's cheeks until the teacher calls his name.

"what?" he asks.

"you and steve are paired together for your english project. it's due at the end of the semester."

james tries not to groan. the semester has just begun. this is going to be a long project, and despite not wanting to, he perks up at the thought of working with sunshine boy for  _weeks._

when the teacher is done sorting everyone into groups, she tells them to group up and start to brainstorm. steve literally bounds over to james, and pulls up his chair.

"hi," he says, somewhat shyly, despite how excitedly he bounded over.

"hey," james says back, baffed. steve is even prettier up close. james wants to kiss him, bite his bottom lip. see how the boy's face scrunches up with pleasure.

"um...i'm steve," steve mumbles, cheeks pink. he's not uncomfortable, but definitely not accustomed to how james is staring at him.

"so i heard," james replies dryly. steve's cheeks pink further.

"you're friends with nat...right?"

james nods. "her boytoy is a friend of yours?"

steve beams at the thought of his friend. "yes! clint. clint is nice." he is still smiling, and james is dumbstruck. fuck. he is going to fall in love with this drop of sunlight. he's already halfway there and he cannot afford that.

at that thought, he stands up.

"where are you going?" steve asks, confused. "aren't we supposed to brainstorm?"

"need a smoke," james says gruffly.

"oh...okay." steve looks disappointed, and then brightens. "i'll go with you!"

james raises an eyebrow. "you're gonna come outside and smoke with me?"

steve beams proudly. "yes!"

james shakes his head, trying not to smile. the bell rings a bit later, and steve dutifully follows james down the steps and out the building. they make a comical pair -- steve is wearing a white t shirt with light wash jeans, a flower crown in his hair, and bucky is wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans. 

"want a smoke?" james asks as he lights his cigarette.

steve winces as james exhales. "no. i -- i have asthma."

james raises an eyebrow. "you have asthma and you decided to come outside and smoke with me?"

steve is blushing again. god damnit, why is that so pretty? "um...yes?"

"why?"

steve is chewing on his lip. "i dunno. i like you, i guess. you're -- you're han -- um, nice."

james' lips quirk up into a smirk. "were you about to say handsome?"

steve's cheeks flush even deeper. "what's your middle name?"

"that was not a smooth transition."

steve pouts up at him, not saying anything, and james has the fleeting thought that that look alone could end wars.

"buchanan," he says with a sigh, smoke escaping him in tendrils.

"buchanan," steve repeats slowly. then he smiles. "i'm gonna call you bucky!"

james snorts. "i don't think anyone's ever given me a nickname."

steve is hugging himself, beaming, clearly proud. "well, now i have!" then his smile falls. "i mean...i mean, if that's okay."

james can't stand to see him sad. with a pout like that, james would give steve someone's head on a plate if he asked. "of course that's okay, sunshine."

\- - -

a few months later, steve is fully comfortable with bucky, his bucky. their project is almost done -- steve begged bucky to let them do their project on greek mythology, and bucky said yes, of course. 

"i'm kinda sad we're almost done," steve admits as they're finishing up the last touches.

"why's that?"

"because -- well -- because i like you. working with you, i mean." steve is quick to correct himself, and when bucky looks over, his cheeks are a deep pink.

"yeah?" he asks. when steve notices bucky staring at him, he glares.

"quit staring at me!" he whines, covering his face with his hands.

"i can't help it," james laughs. "you're just..." he takes a deep breath. it's now or never, he supposes, considering steve just said he likes him. "you're just so pretty, baby."

steve slowly uncovers his face. "i...what?"

"you heard me." james' voice is much, much softer now, and he scoots closer, sitting criss-cross across from steve, their knees touching. steve's cheeks are still pink, bucky's favorite shade on his boy. his thumbs stroke steve's cheeks, soft. "god, steve."

"i..." steve doesn't know what to say. he's never been this close to anyone before, not feeling like this, and his tummy has butterflies. "b-bucky..."

"shhh, baby. it's okay. don't be scared."

steve closes his eyes. he isn't scared, never scared when he's with bucky. his hands are on bucky's shoulders, the gap between them a bit awkward. his muscles are firm under steve's fingers.

"you okay?"

steve opens his eyes and nods, giving bucky a shy smile. "can i...?" he scoots a bit closer, and bucky grips him by the hips and pulls him closer. steve is in his lap now, his legs around bucky's waist, so close their faces are almost touching, and steve giggles.

"so cute," bucky coos. he presses kisses on both of steve's cheeks, his forehead, the tip of his nose. this is uncharacteristic for him, scares him a little, but steve makes a sound like a happy kitten, nuzzles in closer. bucky's heart is singing. he's glad he didn't decide to fuck steve and leave -- being like this with him is even better.

steve doesn't mean to say the words, but they tumble out of his mouth anyway. "i love you." as soon as he says it, he gasps, claps his hands over his mouth. he tries to squirm out of bucky's lap, but bucky catches him by the waist, holding him still.

"it's okay, sweetheart. hey -- steve -- hey." bucky catches him by the chin, makes him stare into his eyes. steve's breathing is picking up, and he's in the pre-stages of a panic attack. "calm down for me, love. everything is okay." he rubs steve's back, and he thinks about how he never saw himself doing this -- cuddling a panicking boy and calling him pet names, but he likes it. it's strange. "look at me."

"i - so-sorry --" steve gasps.

bucky's heart is clenching from seeing him in pain, and he knows he has to say it. "i love you, too." he means it, too, more than anything he's ever said, probably.

the way steve's face lights up makes everything worth it. he lets out a squeal, tackling bucky over backwards, moving so quickly that his flower crown falls off, and he kisses bucky. steve has never kissed anyone before, but bucky doesn't mind -- he finds his inexperience adorable, and the soft noises steve makes are adorable, too.

"you love me," steve whispers when the kiss is broken.

"who wouldn't?" bucky responds, and steve giggles, cheeks pink. bucky holds him tighter, never wanting to let him go. he thinks about how much warmer he's felt since he met steve -- like he's been defrosted, or something, and he has the thought,  _he is the sun, and i will never be cold again._

 


	2. another soul to cling to; another body to keep us warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> steve's friends find out that he's (maybe?) dating james (not that he's discreet at all), and their reactions aren't as happy as he'd hoped.

"you've been spending a lot of time with james lately," sam notes. "like, more than normal."

"oh..." steve mumbles, blushing. "yeah...we had to, um, finish up our project. it's due next week."

sam hums disbelievingly. steve is a terrible liar, always has been, and it becomes even worse when he's lying to people that he  _knows_ can tell he's lying.

"you can just tell us, steve," clint adds. "it's not like we don't already know."

"you don't know anything." steve doesn't feel as confident as he sounds.

sam raises an eyebrow at him, and clint just stares.

"what?" steve asks. "quit looking at me like that!"

"'you don't know anything,'" clint says in a weak representation of steve's voice. "steve, kiddo, you're terrible at being discreet. you have a huge hickey on your neck. at least  _try,_ dude."

steve puts a hand to his throat. "it's not a hickey! it's...uh..." he hesitates, thinking. "i got punched?"

"that person must have a tiny fist," sam mutters dryly.

"yep...a very, very tiny fist..."

"i can't believe this. he's still trying to lie to us," clint says to sam.

"whatever," sam says, with finality. he stands up from the table, taking his lunch tray back to the dishwasher conveyor belt. "he'll tell us when he wants to, clint. maybe we should just let it go."

clint pauses, thinking, and then shrugs. "sure, whatever. whenever you want to tell us, steve. you pretty much already know what our reaction is gonna be." he gives steve a smile before leaving the table, too. steve sticks his lower lip out, pouting.

"i need to be a better liar," he mumbles to himself, dropping his forehead against the tabletop. after a minute, he gets up and goes outside. there's still a solid fifteen minutes of lunch left, and he doesn't want to spend it sitting at the table by himself.

"hey," a familiar voice calls, and steve looks over.

"bucky!" he cheers, hopping up to give him a hug.

"hey, sweetheart." bucky kisses the top of his head quickly once he sees that none of steve's friends are around. "hey, hey, what's all this?" he asks as steve's face crumples just after he kissed him. "baby boy? what's going on?"

"they know," steve whines, hiding his face in bucky's shirt. bucky lets out a low chuckle, and steve can hear the low rumble from deep in his chest.

"who knows, sweetheart?"

"my  _friends._ they know about us 'cause i'm a shit liar!"

that makes bucky laugh again. "okay, true." he kisses the end of steve's nose when he glares up at him pitifully. "sorry, sweetheart. okay, but why don't you want them to know?"

"i..." steve pauses before shrugging. "we never talked about it...about being...y'know,  _out._ i...i wanted to make sure that was something you wanted, too." his voice goes softer, shy, as he gets to the end of his sentence, and bucky can't help but coo at him.  _"stop_ it!" steve groans. he always gets embarrassed when bucky coos at him, not that he can really help it.

"i'm sorry, baby, i'm just...you're so fucking cute. you didn't tell your friends you're dating me because you want to be sure i'm okay with it." he cups steve's face in his hands, leans their foreheads together. "of course you can tell them, sweetheart, if you want to."

steve beams, going up on his tiptoes to kiss bucky quickly. he smiles the whole way through, which makes bucky smile, too.

"sweet little thing," he says gently, hands rubbing at steve's sides. "so, are you going to tell them?"

steve hums, thinking. "have you told nat?"

"yes. i tell her everything...i hope that's okay with you." bucky sounds worried now.

"of course it is. i know you two are close." he shuffles closer to bucky so he can hug him, and bucky folds him into his arms, rubbing his back.

\- - -

"i gotta tell you something," steve mumbles to sam. he's shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, playing with his shirtsleeve so he doesn't have to look his friend in the face. 

"and whatsoever could that be?" sam questions, trying not to smile.

"i...um..." steve risks a glance up at sam's face. his best friend has his arms crossed over his chest, smiling smugly down at steve. "don't!"

"don't what?" sam asks, genuinely confused.

"look at me like that! all...all  _smug..._ and...stuff."

sam laughs. "sorry, sorry. gimme a second." he struggles to compose his features for a minute.

steve starts to speak again when sam's smug smile has gone away. "um...you know james barnes?"

"i know of him, yeah."

"um...i'm, um...dating him?"

"really? no way." sam states, expression deadpan. "i would have never guessed."

steve wrinkles his nose. "i didn't have to tell you, you know!"

"you're right, you're right, i'm sorry. you're just an awful liar and it's hilarious." sam ruffles steve's hair. "thanks for wanting to tell me, though."

steve beams at him and gives him a huge hug.

\- - -

telling clint goes similarly. it's not like he doesn't already know, after all. all he does when steve tells him and yells, "get some, rogers!" and noogies him aggressively. steve yells for mercy, pleading sam's name until he wrestles clint off of him.

bucky walks up right around then, laughing at steve's mussed up hair and red cheeks.

"clint is  _awful,"_ steve whines to him. "don't let him get me!"

"i'll protect you, baby," bucky laughs back, wrapping an arm around steve's waist.

"i don't think we've met yet," sam says, "i'm sam." he sticks a hand out.

bucky smiles. "james," he says back, shaking it. he likes sam instantly.

"this is clint," sam adds, pointing a thumb towards clint. "we'll both kick your ass if you hurt steve, by the way. we'll fuckin' tag team."

 _"sam,"_ steve whines, embarrassed.

"no, it's okay," bucky laughs. "he means well. if i hurt steve, i'll come to you and personally ask you to kick my ass."

sam cracks a grin. "fair enough."

bucky slings an arm around steve's shoulders, pressing a kiss to his mussed hair, which is adorable on him, by the way.

"well, we'll see you later," clint says, tapping sam's elbow to signal that they should leave. they do, but not before clint yells, "dick him down!"

"he's so embarrassing," steve whines, one red cheek hidden in james' chest.

"best friends are meant to be."

steve unwraps his arm from james' waist so he can take his hand instead. "this is my favorite thing."

"holding my hand?"

"being with you," steve replies, a bit softer. "it's like...like...i don't know. it fits, you know? like my heart clings to you."

"'another soul to cling to, another body to keep us warm,'" bucky murmurs.

"huh?"

"sylvia plath, i think," bucky explains. "'to rest and trust; to give your soul in confidence: i need this, i need someone to pour myself into."

"yes," steve gasps. "yes, that's exactly what i feel!"

bucky beams. "me, too, baby." he hugs steve closer, kisses his hair as many times as he can. "me, too."


End file.
